Advantages

Reliability

Disadvantages

Great for cooking chips in, but i will stick to the oven for everything else

INTRODUCTION ------------------- We bought this for our first home a couple of years ago, it seemed a wise idea at the time to buy things in advance and have what some would call our 'bottoms draw'. To cut a long story short we ended up with a box room full of stuff at my inlaws, the Swan Fryer been amongst it all. There where a few fat fryers to choose from, my budget was £30 and as i was adamant i wanted a stainless steel one, this one fit the bill. There where a few plastic ones to choose from, however i am a sucker for contemporary products and even down to a fat fryer i was a bit choosey!

ABOUT THIS PRODUCT ---------------------------

The fryer came boxed and i had to assemble it myself, it was well packaged and wrapped in bubble wrap and the heating element was well protected in wrap too. The instructions where easy to read and contained recommended cooking times for all different types of foods which was handy.

Once assembled, which was pretty simple- i had to fill it with oil and i was ready to go. When i first used it, it gave off a slightly odd smell of newness- but that has since faded and i am now left with the smell of greasy oil only!

On the control area of the fryer, there are two lights that are red and green. The red light remains lit until the oil in the fryer is hot enough- then the green light comes on to show you the desired temperature has been reached. There is also a dial, with different temperatures on it for different types of foods and a clear viewing window near the handle to keep an eye on what you are cooking.

Inside there is a basket in which you place whatever you may be frying, the basket is quite a good size for a single fryer and i find i can cook plenty of chips to go round in it.

MY OPINION ----------------

I found this fryer functional and great for cooking chips in. If I'm honest I'm not a big fried food fan and i try not to cook it at home. However you cant beat home made chips and this fryer is perfect for making them in. It cooks chips, quickly and evenly and they taste lovely. I do find i have to pat them down afterwards with kitchen roll to remove some of the residue oil- but i believe that to be the case with any fried food.

The functions on the fat fryer are great, i like the fact it informs you with the green light when the oil is hot enough for the food to be cooked. The temperature dial is great too, i only ever used the dial on one setting but its handy to have all those different temperatures to choose from if you cook things like fish fingers, onion rings etc in it. I did find the clear window to be a bit useless to be honest, once the oil heats up lots of steam and bubbles of fat cover the window so you can't see into it anyway.

The fat fryer can be a bit annoying to clean, its hard to keep the outside looking shiny as its like a grease magnet! I am constantly dripping grease down the sides from the basket and having to clean it off afterwards. The inside tray that holds the oil can be removed to empty the oil and clean out the fryer too, i found the best way to do this was to let the oil cool completely and tip it into an empty plastic milk bottle. That way my drains and sink didn't get oily as one of my gripes in life is removing oil from the cooker, so the thought of it in my sink is a no no.

If you don't plan to have the fryer on your kitchen worktop, it is a bit heavy to move around and slide into a cupboard as it has rubber stoppers on the bottom to stop it sliding about. We don't use ours often so its currently stored away with no oil in, this way i can move it about without spilling any oil. I will never forget the day my partner dropped his parents chip pan on their kitchen floor, the floor was like Disney on ice for days as the grease was so hard to remove!

Overall i am happy with this purchase, however in hindsight i probably should of bought the white plastic fat fryer as i don't have it on show anyway, tut!

Comments

Advantages

Reliability

Disadvantages

great peoduct

I recieved this as a house warming present 2 years ago, and mine is still doing as it should. I have had no technical faults or space issues with this product. I like this product because it fits nicely in the corner and doesnt stick out and get in the way of my other kitchen activities. On the down side i do not rate chrome as it tends to show up the grease marks and constantly needs to be cleaned to regain its newness. however, the fryer is easy to use and heats very quickly. the fryer cooks thoroughly and has a fantastic temperature guide for many types of foods to ensure they are cooked to the best standard. the whole product is simple to take apart and put back together when being cleaned. This product would be ideal for a household who are cooking for 3 or less people all at one, because it is petit.